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Melinda Baldwin

@mbaldwin.bsky.social
867 followers 160 following 169 posts

#histSTM studying scientific publishing, funding, and peer review. Associate prof @ UMD College Park. All opinions mine!

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Reposted by Melinda Baldwin
Physics Today @physicstoday.aip.org · 17/09/2026
Navigating the academic job market is always stressful, and doing so as a couple raises the stakes. Toni Feder spoke to couples about their strategies and experiences, what help institutions provide, and what sorts of solutions they’ve found—including when it’s time to walk away. #careersissue
physicstoday.aip.org
Navigating academia as a dual-career couple
Myriad solutions emerge in the stressful process of balancing professional ambition and personal happiness.
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Reposted by Melinda Baldwin
The 51st @51st.news · 17/09/2026
A carryout on 12 St. NE in Brookland has recently blown up on social media for its innovative menu and snappy videos. @ecwilliams.bsky.social tried Today's Pizza's viral oxtail pie:
51st.news
Behind the scenes at DC's viral oxtail pizza carryout
For the team at Today's Pizza, it's always been bigger than the pies.
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Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The American Institute of Physics history program now has a reorganized website. Whether you know nothing, a little, or a lot about our work, take a look around and see if you find anything new to you! www.aip.org/history
Screenshot of the top portion of the AIP history website, showing a feature of a history guide on Bell Labs, introductory text, and the most recent weekly/monthly email newsletters.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Hey @sadbeige.bsky.social I hope you're getting royalties on this since they've clearly mistaken your satire for recommendations.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As both an academic and a writer, I am repelled by the "this looks like a long document. Would you like me to summarize it for you?" that seems to appear at the top of every pdf viewer now. NO. The *entire point* of good writing (either books or journal papers) is that every sentence has a purpose.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"In Referees We Trust" will be open access and available October 13 -- but for those who prefer physical books, Barnes and Noble is running its preorder deal again! Members can get 25% off all preorders with code PREORDER25 through September 11. www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-referee...
A graphic with white text on a green background, advertising a forthcoming book. Image text reads: "In Referees We Trust? How Peer Review Became a Mark of Scientific Legitimacy, by Melinda Baldwin." The book cover appears at the right of the image.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
On October 13, my book will officially be out into the world! Available open access from MIT Press, made possible in part by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. mitpress.mit.edu/978026205474...
A graphic with white text on a green background, advertising a forthcoming book. Image text reads: "In Referees We Trust? How Peer Review Became a Mark of Scientific Legitimacy, by Melinda Baldwin." The book cover appears at the right of the image.
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ertruitt.bsky.social @ertruitt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
🚨🚨🚨JOB ALERT: The HSS Department at Penn is hiring a tenure-track or tenured professor in the history of data/info science, computing, or AI. Please share widely! apply.interfolio.com/192132
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Pope to Catholic Legislators: “Sadly, we are presented with a subtle form of domination when algorithms decide who is seen, who remains invisible, when digital platforms shape public discourse without accountability, and when the dignity of workers is subordinated to the optimization of systems.”
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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Everyone is wondering, so: yes, Bernard Derrida, awarded this year’s Dirac Medal for his work on statistical mechanics, is the cousin of Jacques Derrida, famous problematizer of binary oppositions. www.ictp.it/news/2026/8/...
ictp.it
ICTP Announces 2026 Dirac Medal Recipients | ICTP
ICTP has awarded its 2026 Dirac Medal to four physicists who have made important contributions to statistical mechanics, a framework used by physicists to describe the collective behaviour of systems ...
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DreamingAgainstTheMachine @dreamingagainstthemachine.com · 16/08/2026
@alondra.bsky.social mentions her work on manifestos meaning @adambecker.bsky.social gets to trash on one of his most hated manifestos from the tech world! #ai #datmpodcast #future #aiethics #science #marcandreessen @multitudeshows.com
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Erika Milam @emilam.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Please circulate: www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/news/call-ap... Seeking 10 Early Career Fellows to participate in 2 summer academies to be held in Berlin June 14–18, 2027 & June 26–30, 2028: SCIENCE IMAGINES ITS FUTURE. How have scholars deliberated about investing scarce resources in an uncertain future?
mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de
Call for Applications: Summer Academy on "Science Imagines Its Future" | MPIWG
Call for Applications: Summer Academy on "Science Imagines Its Future" (Deadline November 1)
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Wait you can do this?!
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Emily Mendenhall @emendenhall.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Great reading for the weekend! Kate Salen Tekinbas writes in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social about how we can manage online spaces for children. In well-designed play environments, safety is not achieved by eliminating risk but by designing for it. sciencepolitics.org/2026/07/17/o...
sciencepolitics.org
Online Spaces for Children Don’t Have to Be Outlawed. They Just Have to Be Safe Enough. - Science Politics
In well-designed play environments, safety is not achieved by eliminating risk but by designing for it.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
The AI-written emails telling me that my book is already a failure 3+ months before publication are something else. (Don't worry, if I pay the emailer a hundred bazillion dollars they can un-fail my book.)
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We need merch @nickseaver.website
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My book is coming out in October and will be available open access! However, for those who prefer physical copies, Barnes & Noble is currently running a preorder sale for members. Use code PREORDER25 to get 25% off the paperback! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-referee...
barnesandnoble.com
In Referees We Trust?: How Peer Review Became a Mark of Scientific Legitimacy
Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore for books, NOOK ebooks & magazines. Shop music, movies, toys & games, too. Receive free shipping with your Barnes & Noble Membership.
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Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We are hiring for a science policy news editorial director here at AIP. This position will coordinate coverage across our renowned FYI science policy news service and Physics Today. This is a new and exciting thing, and if this is your wheelhouse, take a look! workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...
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Michael Okun @michael-okun.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
If human editors can’t control who reviews science, it’s no longer peer review — it’s a rubber-stamp machine designed for volume and profit, not quality. I have no intention of attaching my name to it. So I’m out.
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Claes Holtzmann @claeshs.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Court holds Google liable for false claims in AI Overviews. Seems significant. "A regular search engine just points to outside websites. But AI overviews generate 'independent, new, and substantive statements' by evaluating and combining content from various third-party sites" the-decoder
the-decoder.com
Landmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers
A German regional court has ruled that Google is directly liable for the content of its AI search overviews. According to the court, previous limited liability protections for search engine operators don't apply to AI overviews. In this case, Google's AI had falsely linked two publishers to fraud and made claims that didn't appear in any of the linked sources. The ruling could set a precedent for AI-generated content liability worldwide.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Physics Today is hiring! They're looking for a Senior Editor with a graduate degree in physics (PhD preferred) and 8+ years of science writing and editing experience. www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...
linkedin.com
American Institute of Physics hiring Senior Editor, Physics Today in College Park, MD | LinkedIn
Posted 12:49:14 PM. Position Title:Senior Editor, Physics TodayWHO WE ARE: Scientific discovery shapes our lives every…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
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Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences @hsnatsci.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
🚨New Issue Alert🚨 Volume 56 Issue 3 is out now with essays by Karin Nickelsen and David Kaiser, as well as a book review by John DiMoia. online.ucpress.edu/hsns/issue/5...
online.ucpress.edu
Volume 56 Issue 3 | Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences | University of California Press
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
If your business requires me to download yet another app to use it, odds are pretty good at this point I am not going to use your business. It's like a part-time job at this point. Enough.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
We are closing this call on May 31, but would still very much like to see more proposals from periods pre-1800 and regions outside the US and Europe! Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
I AM AT INBOX ZERO. I do not expect this situation to last more than 2 hours but I am going to enjoy it.
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The whole AI-to-make-graduation- efficient is bizarre. The most efficient way to award diplomas is by mail; there’s no logical need for ceremonies. The whole reason they exist is for the human touch & so people can celebrate each other. AI for “efficiency” here is nonsensical (& doesn’t even work🫠)
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Ryan Dahn @ryandahn.com · 06/05/2026
Extremely proud to say that my new @physicstoday.aip.org feature article is live. In it, I explore the history and context of the rare interviews with J. Robert Oppenheimer recently made public by @aiphistory.bsky.social. physicstoday.aip.org/features/opp...
physicstoday.aip.org
Oppenheimer reflects on his early career
Interviews now available to the public bring the famed physicist’s lesser-known early years to life.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
My book is webpage official! Available open access in October 2026! mitpress.mit.edu/978026205474...
mitpress.mit.edu
In Referees We Trust?
n Referees We Trust? investigates the origins of the peer review system, a system that is often considered the essential mechanism that protects the trustwor...
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UMD Department of History @umdhistory.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Julie Taddeo spoke with WBAL about King Charles's address to Congress. Read more here: www.wbaltv.com/article/hist...
wbaltv.com
History professor discusses King Charles' address to Congress
Julie Taddeo, a research professor for the University of Maryland's Department of History, discussed King Charles' address to Congress.
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ICSSI @icssi.org · 29/04/2026
🔬 Next #ICSSI2026 Speaker Spotlight: Melinda Baldwin A historian of science at UMD, @mbaldwin.bsky.social literally wrote the book on the history of the journal Nature. Her work is a fascinating dive into peer review, publishing, and the institutions shaping science. See you in Boulder! icssi.org
A picture of Prof. Melinda Baldwin, the ICSSI logo, and basic information about the conference, including its website, icssi.org
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Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
If you work in or around the history of physics, take a look at the list of past winners, think of someone who deserves it, and then find some folks who agree with you to put together a nomination. Only a bit over a month left!
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Adam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
On episode 2 of @dreamingagainstthemachine.com, @chanda.blacksky.app and I talk about Star Trek, the power of labor unions, and fascist footwear. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts!
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Harriet Fagerberg @harrif.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Cambridge Department of History and Philosophy of Science are now on Bluesky! 🔭📚 @hpscambridge.bsky.social
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 21/04/2026
Boston area!! One week from today I will be in conversation with MIT historian and fellow physicist, my mentor David Kaiser @brooklinebooksmith.bsky.social!! RSVP today! www.eventbrite.com/e/chanda-pre...
eventbrite.com
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein with David Kaiser: The Edge of Space-Time
Read on for important details for this Brookline Booksmith event.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
If anyone in history ever wants to talk about this, feel free to reach out to me! I had a somewhat unusual contingent academic --> non-academic --> tenured academic career path, but I'm happy to be useful in any way I can on this question. Big supporter of non-academic paths.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
For fuck's sake, sign up for The Onion, and get a free limited edition IW tote. A share of merch sales will go to the Sandy Hook families, which will be the first time they get any money since they filed this lawsuit eight years ago. Legal fees have been insane. Please sign up and help us out!
membership.theonion.com
Join The Onion
Don’t just read the news. Feel it. Be among the first to feel the news.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
New Special Section Call for Proposals for @hsnatsci.bsky.social ! My co-editor Dominik Huenniger and I are seeking short essays (800-1000 words) on the theme of "Revisiting Classics and Major Influences." More below.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The opening guitar chords of “Style” (OG version)
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professor tools for commensality (red scare edition) @inquiline.myatproto.social · 11/04/2026
the Science Wars are dead, long live the Science Wars
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
A feast of Oppenheimer documents on display tonight at AIP!
An image of several archival documents, including a telegram from Robert Oppenheimer inviting J.H. Van Vleck to join the Manhattan Project.
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Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 08/04/2026
I dunno, i feel like I said some useful and pretty prescient things in "Scholars are Failing the GPT Review Process," but who am I to judge. online.ucpress.edu/hsns/article...
online.ucpress.edu
Scholars are Failing the GPT Review Process
Since the beginning of this age of “generative AI,” members of fields and disciplines ranging across commerce, food service, medicine, and education have sought to find at least one use case fit to th...
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Linda Holmes @lindaholmes.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We can do such amazing things; they make us so much better. And we are doing so few of them compared to what we could choose to do.
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 04/04/2026
The global impact of this — if it goes through — will be enormous
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Please raise your hand if you would like to invest in my new airport restaurant chain concept, "1.5 Margaritas." Our signature cocktail will be a margarita that is 50% larger than a normal margarita.
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Stephen Blackmoore @stephenblackmoore.com · 30/03/2026
And make sure to record your claim number when you submit. Print the screen as a .pdf. Not everyone is getting the confirmation email.
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Melinda Baldwin @mbaldwin.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Last RP: "Ryan Coogler directs an X Files episode" would probably have been one of my wishes if I ever found a magic lamp.
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Cosmic Marvel @dailycosmicmarvel.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Himesh Patel will star opposite Danielle Deadwyler in the ‘X-FILES’ reboot series. Ryan Coogler will write and direct the pilot. (via deadline.com/2026/03/hime...
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
"A chatbot did not kill those children. People failed to update a database, and other people built a system fast enough to make that failure lethal."
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The 51st @51st.news · 12/03/2026
We're so close...Help us reach the goal needed to expand our newsroom by the end of the campaign: TOMORROW! Memberships, one-time donations and spreading the word all help! 51st.news/the-51st-is-...
a support bar that's 90% filled in, in red. "Support the 51st and $351,733 of $375,000" are text above it.
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